If you’ve never noticed, clear lenses can be very foggy, especially when shooting into the sun. This is because the sun’s rays pass through the lens, and because of this, the light is scattered, and the lens looks foggy in comparison to the bright background. This can be a real problem for landscape photography, especially where the foggy lens can mask the bright sky.
There’s nothing worse than taking a great picture only to discover that the lens’ ability to focus properly has been ruined. After all, it’s pretty frustrating to try to capture something good and have it come out blurry. The lens performance is something that many people take for granted, but one that can be very important when you need to take an important shot.
There is a lot of fog around the idea of ISO or the “image stabilization” that modern lenses provide. The truth is, there are several different types of ISO. Most lenses are designed to be very sensitive to light, which is why the images look so good. This means that to maintain the same quality at higher ISOs, the lens has to use a more complicated optical system, which can result in more vignetting, less sharpness, and ultimately a more grainy image. But how can you Avoid Foggy Lenses?
Avoiding Foggy Lenses: Tips
- Put your camera in the trunk
Foggy lenses are a major annoyance for most photographers. In some cases, it’s a problem caused by the moisture trapped on your lens during the downpour, while in others, it’s man-made. The latter is more likely the case in the upcoming security camera market, as the semiconductor industry is currently studying how to create a visible image on a camera sensor. The technology, called optical signal processing, is used in digital cinematography. Still, the same idea can be applied to cameras with a CCD or CMOS image sensor, where static or moving objects can be traced by exploiting the optical properties of the pixels.
- You need to Eliminate the caps and filters
Many lenses have a built-in multi-coating, which reduces flare and ghosting and smooths out the image. Unfortunately, it also causes a loss of sharpness, as the coating is applied to the front of the lens instead of the glass surface in front of the lens.
If you’ve been shooting with the same lens for a long time, you may have noticed that your shots are becoming less than stellar. This is because your lens has become “fogged” with all the water in your housing. When shooting anything with water (unless you have a special camera), including photos, the goal is to have clear images, not foggy ones. Focus on using the least amount of water you can get away with, as this will eventually allow you to take better photos.
- Always have with you a microfiber cloth
One of the problems with lenses is that they get dirty. There are several ways to avoid this, but the most effective is to use a lens cloth. These are not just used to clean lenses but also to clean camera bodies and filters and wipe down the buttons and other surfaces on your camera. While they’re not exactly the most glamorous of products, the fact is that they’re very useful for dusting, cleaning, and polishing lenses. Having a spare cloth in your camera bag will ensure you have one at the ready when you need it. Microfiber cloths are a staple accessory in most photographers’ kits.
The light is all around us, so let’s not waste it! It’s easy to think that darker is better, but getting the shot you want can be more difficult. Avoiding fog is the most obvious technique, but it is not the only one, especially if you are shooting in the cold or dry air of a high mountain area. Our Photographers have found a few ways to deal with foggy lenses that have been extremely helpful in getting that perfect shot.
